


Make A Move Cause I Ain't Got All Night

by paradox_slime



Series: If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To) [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:01:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24067789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradox_slime/pseuds/paradox_slime
Summary: Keith is opening up to Lance bit by bit, and things finally get interesting. Though, Lance still doesn't know Keith's secret. How far can Keith make it before he's forced to tell Lance the truth? How long will it be before he finds out on his own? Will they end up going that distance?Would Lance still think of him the same way?
Relationships: Hunk & Shay (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: If You're Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1543906
Comments: 10
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Part Two is finally here! I'm going to be honest, I still haven't finished Part Three. However, the school semester is over next week, and hopefully posting this will give me the incentive to finish working on it now that I'm going to have a bit more free time! Please enjoy, Part Two is my favorite so far <3

Getting back into the swing of schoolwork was… difficult to say the least. Keith had to try with everything he had to push the New Year’s Party from his memories. Though, no matter how hard he tried, it always creeped back into his conscience.

This semester, he had another, next-level drawing class with Hunk. Luckily, they both got into Professor Smythe’s class, but without Pidge… or Lance.

Thank  _ God _ .

Keith had hardly seen Lance since. He saw him every now and again on campus, but neither ever stayed in the other’s field of view long enough.

A few days after the party, Lance had called Hunk crying. The two had spent the night together, Lance explaining how frustrated he was with the whole situation. He didn’t touch on the party.

Keith remained silent about it as well.

Pidge could tell Keith was upset about something that happened that night, but they weren’t sure what. Both Hunk and Pidge were stressed for their friends, and Shiro was beside himself.

In the few years Shiro had known Keith, there was hardly anything he didn’t come to him about. Whenever he was upset or stressed about something, he eventually ended up ranting to him about it, and the two solved the issue together. But it had been days now, and Keith stayed tight-lipped.

Finally, Pidge stormed into Hunk’s room one day and closed the door.

Hunk looked up, shocked, at his usually aloof friend. Their expression was twisted into one of frustration. “Pidge? You okay, buddy?”

“No, Hunk,” they said, sitting down next to him on his bed. They leaned heavily on him, rubbing their face. “Keith is miserable, and so is Lance, and neither of them want to talk about it or talk to each other and it’s driving me crazy. We don’t even know what happened, and we can’t do anything about it.”

“I think the problem is that they’re too scared to face each other.” Hunk said, rubbing his chin. “Keith was crying the night of the party, so maybe Lance feels guilty for making him cry. And Keith must feel embarrassed for his actions, and probably doesn’t want to show his face to Lance. He’s too proud to apologize… most of the time, at least.”

“I know that. But don’t either of them realize that this could all be solved if they just talked? I mean, seriously, what is it with boy drama? It’s  _ worse  _ than girl drama! And girl drama sucks, Hunk!” Pidge hissed, taking their glasses off to scrub at their face with their hands.

“Pidge, buddy, this isn’t our issue. It’s not our situation to handle. We don’t have a place to make either of them talk to each other without overstepping our bounds.” Hunk closed his computer and sat up, turning to his distraught friend. “We can’t force them to do anything,”

“But Hunk, we’re their friends, we can, I dunno,” Pidge started, running a hand through their hair. “We could host an intervention?”

“We could, hypothetically,” Hunk started. “If one of the people in question wasn’t an explosive, stressed-out hothead,”

Pidge rolled their eyes. “Okay, man, for real,  _ fuck _ Keith’s temper. I don’t even care if we never hear the end of this. We  _ need _ to help them fix their problem, or it’ll never happen. Even Shiro is fed up.”

“Okay, fine,” Hunk caved, exhaling through his nose. “So where is this happening?”

Later that day, Keith was leaving his yoga class. As soon as he turned his phone back on, he received all of about a million texts from both Hunk  _ and _ Pidge. He glared at his phone as he scrolled through them.

Something about how he had to get to Shiro’s friend Adam’s dorm “AS SOON AS FUCKING POSSIBLE”. He didn’t care how urgent the situation was, his friends should know that his phone did  _ not _ have the storage for this many text messages.

He huffed an exasperated sigh, turning on his heel and heading over to Adam’s building. The early February chill grazed his ankles. His sweatpants reached just above them, and his jacket was on the thinner side. Keith quickened his pace, adjusting his bag on his shoulder as he pushed through the double doors to Adam’s dorm building.

He greeted the young girl at the desk with a brief smile, handing over his school ID. He told her what dorm he’d be in, and she sent him on his way. The elevator ride was a  _ blessing _ . The elevator was warm, and he was the only one in it. It gave him a few moments to get some feeling back in his fingertips.

It stopped on the floor Pidge told him to get off at, and he looked around to get his bearings. He followed the numbers on the door in ascending order till he came to the door with the number Pidge had texted him.

He knocked once and suddenly, the door was open, and Hunk was yanking him inside. The first thing Keith noticed was that Hunk locked the door behind him. What the fuck.

Pidge turned to greet him. “Keith, good, you’re here,” they started. “Dude, you’ve gotta fuckin’ see this. Hunk and I couldn’t believe it.”

Keith raised a confused brow. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Hunk shook his head. He pointed at one of the bedrooms in the dorm; the door was ajar. “Just… go in there and see for yourself. You’re not gonna believe it.”

Keith’s brow furrowed. He hesitated for a moment before his curiosity overtook him and he (against his  _ better _ judgement) entered the room.

As soon as his whole body was inside, it was pulled shut behind him and locked from the outside.  _ What the FUCK _ .

He turned. “Hunk? Pidge? What the  _ hell _ is this?” he called. “How the hell did you lock the door from the outside? Why did you lock me in here?”

“Sorry dude,” came the muffled reply from Pidge. “We love you, but you’re terrible at fixing your own mistakes.”

“ _ What? _ ” he snapped. “You two better fucking let me out of here right now. If this is what I fucking think it is-”

“...Keith?”

Keith froze. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, Keith, breathe. You can kill your friends later. Right now, focus on what’s in front of you. Or, behind you, rather. He turned slowly.

There, standing in the dim light coming from the setting sky, was Lance. He had a mixed expression. Keith couldn’t read it. His heart hammered against his ribcage. He wondered how Lance couldn’t hear it.

He also wondered what Lance was thinking. He wondered what the fuck he was going to say. What the fuck  _ Lance _ was going to say. It had been over a month and a half since the last time they spoke. And the last time they spoke, well… They hadn’t really done much talking.

Keith could feel his body start to shake with steadily increasing anxiety, and it was all he could to take a deep, steadying breath.

“Hi,” was all he could manage.

“Hi,” Lance replied slowly. “Do you know Stephanie too, or have I just been tricked?” he asked quietly, a sheepish smile present on his slender face.

“No, I don’t know a Stephanie. We were both tricked.”

Lance nodded. “What did they do to get you up here?”

“They just told me it was an emergency and that I had to come as soon as possible. What did they do to get  _ you _ up here?”

“Hunk told me they were surprising Stephanie for her birthday in Adam’s dorm. They told me to hide out in Adam’s closet.”

Keith folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the door, heaving an uncomfortable sigh. “What assholes,” he hissed. “I’m gonna strangle them both when I get the fuck out of here.”

Lance winced a bit. That threat didn’t sound as empty as he would’ve liked.

“Now that introductions are out of the way, I bet you two are wondering why you’re in there,” Hunk called, making Keith jump from his position against the door.

“Yeah, no  _ shit _ ,” he snapped back.

“Well,” Pidge continued. “Ever since the New Year’s party, the two of you have been acting super fucking weird. Like, weirder than normal. You both refuse to see one another, which makes it hard for us to all hang out as a group. It started driving Hunk crazy, and then it started driving me crazy. Which wouldn’t have been an issue. But now, Shiro’s getting upset. And that’s no fun for anyone. So, until the two of you can work out your angsty problematic  _ bullshit _ , you’re staying in there.”

“Fuck you, you gremlin, I’ll strangle you,” Keith growled at the door.

“Jokes on you, shithead, I’d enjoy the sweet release of death. I’m taking Astrophysics Three this semester.”

Keith groaned loudly, his head thunking against the thick wooden door. “Fucking  _ hell _ ,”

Lance sat on one of the two beds in the room, unable to approach the situation. “So, uh-”

“No. No, no, no, no, no, no. We are not doing this. We are not dissecting this. I don’t want anything to do with this fucking situation, I just want to take a fucking shower and go to sleep,” Keith said, sinking down against the door.

“Well, Keith, I-”

“No, Lance, no, shut the fuck up. Just shut up. We’re not talking about this. There’s nothing to talk about. This is so fucked. This is so, so, so fucked.”

“Keith, would you just listen to me? Please, maybe-”

“Lance, I’m going to kill you in three seconds if you don’t _fucking_ leave me alone.”

That shut Lance up. Keith sat with his back against the door and his head between his knees. He heaved heavy, filling breaths as he tried not to dissolve into an anxiety attack. All he wanted was to be alone, to be in a safe place, to be anywhere Lance  _ wasn’t _ . But no, his dickhead friends just  _ had  _ to do something. Of fucking course.

He felt hot tears gather in his eyes. His breathing was getting away from him. He didn’t want Lance to see him like this. He never wanted anyone to see him like this. He couldn’t possibly do this. He wasn’t ready, and he didn’t think he’d ever be. There was no way he could talk about this. That would involve talking about so many other things, and he didn’t want to do that either, and-

Before he knew it, two warm hands rested on either of his shoulders. “Hey, Keith, please, just calm down, you’re going to faint from hyperventilating like that,”

He started hyperventilating? When?

He didn’t dare look up. He was already crying - fuck, he had started crying, too - and he knew that those big baby blues would just send him over the fucking edge.

“Lance, please, don’t touch me,” he said weakly. “I don’t need your help.”

“Keith,” he started, his voice quiet but firm. “At least take a seat on the bed. You look like you just came from the gym. Rest your body,”

After a moment of hesitation, Keith let Lance help him up and lead him to the bed on the opposite side of the room. He sat, and let Lance take off his shoes and toss them over to where he had left his bag.

“Look,” Lance started, still kneeling in front of Keith. “I know you want nothing to do with me. You don’t want to be here. I’m not exactly a fan of this situation either, and it’s my fault. I fucked up, but you’re paying for it. But… the faster we talk this over, the faster we can be on our ways, and we never have to bring it up again. I swear.”

Keith braved a glance up at Lance. “You swear?” he said.

Lance nodded. “Swear.”

“...Fine.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a talk.

How the hell would they even start this conversation?  _ Where _ could they possibly even begin?

Lance rubbed his arm. The two fell completely silent. Neither knew what to say. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut, fragile enough to pop. Keith bit first.

“You kissed me,” he said slowly.

“I did,” Lance replied.

“We were drunk, that was a mistake. I mean, it  _ was _ a mistake, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“What the fuck do you mean you don’t know? It’s a yes or no question, Lance,”

“Well I hardly remember what was going through my head! You said it yourself, we were drunk!”

“Well what  _ do _ you remember?”

Lance sighed in frustration. “I remember being nervous when I walked into the bathroom and saw you. There was, um, a lot going on for me, and I was scared you were going to freak out on me. Guess I can thank the alcohol for your politeness?”

“Don’t push it, McClain,” Keith snapped.

“Right, right. Anyway, I wanted to get back to Allura, but you said you wanted to talk to me… I think it was something about Hunk?”

“Hunk said you had something to tell me. Something he couldn’t tell me himself,”

“Oh, fuck,” Lance’s face drained a bit. He looked… embarrassed.

“What?” Keith started. “You never told me what it was,”

The former swallowed thickly. “Well, um. The reason I don’t really know if kissing you was a mistake is because that depends on how you would’ve reacted if I’d told you.”

“That’s not confusing at all,” Keith drawled.

“I know, I know. But, hey, you kissed me back, I remember that much,”

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did,”

“No I fucking  _ didn’t _ , Lance.”

“Why are you trying so hard to convince me?”

“Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because I was there.”

“And so was I.”

“You kissed me back.”

“No I didn’t.”

Lance scrubbed his face with his hands, another strangled, frustrated sigh escaping him.

“How about this; what the fuck is your problem with me?”

Keith glared at him. “What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean? You clearly have something against me and I want to know what the fuck it is,”

“I don’t have anything against you.”

“How can you say that after the way you’ve treated me since we’ve met? How is there any other excuse for that?”

“I don’t like people.”

“That has no justification for your actions.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“That doesn’t either.”

“I don’t know what else you want me to say, Lance!”

“How about ‘I’m sorry’?”

“Why should I apologize?”

“Because any other normal fucking human being would?”

“Okay, I’m sorry. Happy?”

“No!”

Keith ran his fingers through his hair and pulled. “God, why the fuck are you so difficult?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?  _ I’m _ the difficult one? You’re such a hypocrite!”

“I only act the way I act because I have reason to. You fucking waltzed in here being all, I don’t know,  _ you _ , and you expected me to turn around like everyone else here dumb enough to fall for your little ‘goody golden boy’ schtick. But the truth is, you’re an attention seeker. You just want everyone to be looking at you all the time. Well, newsflash, Lance, not everyone likes you.”

“You want to talk newsflashes, Keith? Okay, let’s do this. Firstly, you’re an asshole. You don’t let anyone in because you’re too insecure and too set in your own ways to trust anyone but Shiro, and your temper makes you so bitter and undesirable that no one bothers anyway. You’re talented as shit but you throw it away because you never want anyone near you ever. You push away everyone who tries to help you and for what? Because you want everyone to know just how edgy and alone you are? That’s not the way the world works, Keith, you can’t keep everyone out forever.”

“I can, and I fucking will.”

Both boys were fuming. Neither realized that they had stood up. Their chests heaved with rage. All Keith wanted to do was hit Lance. Make him regret meeting him in the first place. But for some reason, he couldn’t. He had no idea what he was feeling.

“You know what, Keith? You have fun with that. You have a great time keeping everyone away. Because the next time some idiot like me comes along and falls for you the same way I did, maybe you’ll see what you’re doing wrong.”

Keith froze. Immediately, all of his rage fell away, and his face went blank. “...What?”

“Yeah, I fucking said it. That’s what I had to tell you. That’s why I kissed you. Because I’m so goddamn  _ in love with you _ and I have been for months and I can’t take the way you can’t stand me. All I’ve done since day one is try and get you to trust me. To try and make you see that I’m not here to hurt you. All I want to do is take care of you, and make you feel safe.”

His face felt hot. His eyes pricked with the threat of tears. “I’m not going to be your charity case,” he said weakly. His voice wavered.

Lance took a step towards him. “That’s not what I mean,” his voice was softer now.

“Lance, don’t,”

“Keith, please,”

“Don’t come closer.”

He took another step. “All I ever think about is you.”

“Why? Why me? After everything? I don’t get it, I’m horrible.”

“I don’t know why. But… something about you just… makes me feel like you’re good for me. That I’d be, I don’t know, good for you. We balance each other out.”

“No, I… I can’t. I don’t…”

“All I’ve wanted to know for the longest time is how you really feel about me.”

“Lance,”

“You told me once that you don’t hate me, and I believe you. But how do you really feel about me?”

Keith held his head in his hands. He didn’t want to do this. He wanted to be far away from here. He didn’t want his friends listening to this. He didn’t want anyone to hear this. He felt weak and wrong and scared and he couldn’t function. But the longer he delayed his answer, the longer he’d be trapped in here.

“I can’t say I really know for sure,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I don’t hate you. I don’t. But there are so many reasons why I just… don’t trust you. And it’s not your fault. I’m just super fucked up and I cope with it by keeping everyone out. I don’t know how to deal with my emotions. I don’t know how to deal with confrontation. I don’t know how to deal with this. I want to give you an answer you can salvage and read into in your own way but I don’t even know how to do that. And… I’m sorry for being such a dick to you these last few months. You don’t deserve it.”

Lance stared down at him as he spoke, sadness apparent on his thin face. He felt bad for jabbing at Keith’s inability to keep relationships. It was a bit of a low blow. But he’d never seen him look this fragile. It made his chest ache.

“I’m sorry that I had to force this out of you. We should’ve done this at a time more suitable for us.” He sat down carefully next to Keith. “You don’t deserve this, either.”

Against his better judgement, Keith leaned over and rested his head on Lance’s shoulder. “Thank you for understanding.”

Lance lifted his arm and wrapped it around Keith’s shoulders. “Thank you for at least trusting me with this.”

Outside the door, Hunk and Pidge were dumbfounded. They had heard just about everything.

“Did that really just happen?” Pidge hissed.

“I think it did,” Hunk replied slowly.

“Do we let them out now?”

Hunk nodded.

The two rose from their spot on the floor. They knocked once before unlocking it and pulling it open slowly.

“Lance? Keith?” Pidge called quietly.

Keith looked up from where he was sitting on the bed.

“Fuck both of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this chapter so much. Emotionally charged situations are always so much fun to write!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone say first date?

So… how were they supposed to move forward? The truth was out; Lance was in love with Keith. And he had been, for quite some time. Lance had asked Keith how he felt about him, and he had no answer.

How  _ did  _ he feel about Lance?

Well, he didn’t hate him. He accepted in his mind that he was warming up to him. If anyone asked, however, he wouldn’t comment.

Keith looked over at Lance, who was currently in their dorm on his laptop. It was raining outside, and none of them had classes today.

It had been a couple of weeks since the… incident. The day after it had happened, Keith tore an apologetic Hunk and Pidge a new one, forbidding them to ever interfere in his personal life like that again lest they wanted him to strangle them both.

Since that day, the five of them had been hanging out more frequently. Keith found himself not minding much. He even found himself noticing things about Lance that he hadn’t before. He liked sweet coffee when it was from a coffee shop, but if his mom made fresh Cuban coffee, he drank it straight up. He didn’t like to be tickled, but was extremely ticklish. When he laughed, like, really laughed with his whole face, his eyes closed. His nose scrunched. And every time it happened, it made Keith’s chest feel just a bit less chilly.

So again, where did that leave him?

“What?” Lance said, breaking Keith’s reverie.

“What?” he asked back.

“You were staring at me,” the former pointed out, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“I was? Sorry,” Keith ducked his head, running his fingers through his dark, messy hair.

Lance watched him for a moment. He looked at his laptop again, clicking at what was on the screen a few times before shutting it and standing. He traversed the small room and sat in the chair adjacent to the flustered boy.

“Let me take you out to do something fun.”

Keith raised a dark brow. “Something fun? Like what?”

Lance shrugged. “There’s a pretty cool arcade about twenty minutes or so from campus.”

“An arcade?” came the scoff. “What are we, middle schoolers?”

The former threw a dramatic hand over his heart. “How  _ dare _ ye insult the magical world that lies beyond those tinted glass doors,” he drawled, his faux anger making Keith chuckle. “The world of the arcade is no place for a meddling middle school boy, but for men such as ourselves, who are polished in the art of Dance Dance Revolution, zombie shooter games, and claw machines,”

Keith rolled his eyes, reaching out to shove Lance lightly on the shoulder. “Okay, okay, can it, Shakespeare. I’ll go with you.”

“Wait, really? You will?”

“Yes, really.”

Lance’s eyes practically glittered with excitement. “Awesome.”

“Let me go get ready,” Keith said, standing from the table.

After a few minutes, Keith returned wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and his leather jacket. On his head was the grey beanie. Lance nodded, smiling as he stuffed his laptop in his bag and slipped his shoes on. Keith left a quick note explaining that he and Lance had left, and they had no clue when they were getting back.

Keith followed Lance out to the parking lot to a blue pickup truck. It looked used, but not old. It fit him.

“Blue seems to be your color, huh?” he asked, kicking at dirt as the latter unlocked the truck and moved belongings off of the passenger seat.

“Red seems to be yours,” came the reply.

Keith shrugged. “Touche,”

Lance opened the passenger door from inside of the cabin, patting the seat. “Hop in,”

The step was a bit high from the ground, but Keith found it pretty easy with his foot. He lifted off of the ground and slid into the seat. As he pulled the door shut, the truck roared to life beneath him. He shimmied into his seatbelt as Lance shifted into drive and pulled out of his spot.

“So,” Keith started. “How do you know about this place?”

Lance shrugged. “A few buddies of mine from my communications class last semester took me. We’ve gone a few times. It’s a pretty cool place.”

He nodded. There weren’t many people on the road due to the rain, which made the ride to the arcade pretty quick.

Lance practically ran from his side of the truck to open the door for Keith, who blinked. “Um, thank you,”

“You’re welcome, your majesty.”

“Oh, I could get used to that.”

“Uh oh.”

“I’m kidding.”

“Phew.”

“...Maybe.”

Lance rolled his eyes playfully. He held the door for Keith, who looked amazed at the interior of the building.

The whole place was neon and lit up with neon signs, and the floor was covered in a grid of arcade games. There were racing games, zombie shooters, claw machines, skii ball ramps, the whole shebang. There was even a small laser tag arena.

“So where do you want to start?” Lance asked, coming up next to him.

“Um, I’m not really sure,” replied the former. “I’ve never really been to an arcade before.”

“What?! How have you never been to an arcade before?”

Keith shrugged. “Parents never took me. Don’t have too many friends.”

Lance sighed, clapping a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “My friend, tonight, I am going to show you the beautiful, colorful world of arcades. And I think we should start with…” he scanned the floor, then pointed eagerly. “Dance Dance Revolution!”

Keith looked over at the machine. It was pink and blue and purple and white and it had a huge screen with animated characters dancing on it. On the floor in front of the two machines were giant pads with arrows on them. Keith assumed it was part of the game.

He swallowed. “You’re on.”

Lance led him over. There were only a couple people on line ahead of them, so he turned to Keith. “Basically, the rules are as follows. You pick a song, and a difficulty. Those big arrows correspond to the ones on screen, and you step on them to the beat. It’s all about timing and rhythm. We get two songs per play, so we can do an easy one for your first time.”

The latter nodded. Didn’t seem too hard.

Finally, it was their turn, and the two stepped onto the pads. Lance fished out a game card from his wallet (“I still have credits from last time.”) and swiped it, starting up the loud, bass-heavy music that played on the menu screen.

Keith let Lance choose the first song and the difficulty. As the music started up, Lance pointed out the arrows travelling up the screen. “Step on the arrows when they’re inside the stencils.” he demonstrated, and he got the hang of it pretty quickly.

The song finished, and Keith took a breath. “That wasn’t hard at all. I’m ready for the next one.”

Lance raised a brow. “Oh really?” he said. “Want to make a bet?”

Keith thought for a moment. “Okay, you’re on. What’s the bet?”

“Loser owes the winner… a blowjob.”

“Are you serious?”

“Absolutely.”

Keith bit his lip. He… didn’t exactly have a dick. Not that he thought he was going to win. But if he lost… He took a deep breath, extending his arm to shake Lance’s hand. “Fine.”

Lance took the hand, and they shook on it. The former sifted through the songs on the machine briefly before putting on a song, and setting the difficulty to normal.

Suddenly, hispanic lyrics filtered through the speakers to an upbeat track, and Keith knew he was about to get his proverbial ass proverbially kicked.

He did his utmost to keep up with the arrows, but found himself missing several. His biggest mistake was sparing a glance over at his rival.

Lance was fucking graceful as  _ shit _ . His body easily moved with the rhythm of the song, his hips seeming to move of their own accord. Quit looking at his hips, Keith. He must’ve been staring, because he caught Lance’s eye and it was all over.

Whoops and whistles sounded behind him from other arcade-goers as Lance dragged his hands down his chest and to his hips, where he hooked his index fingers into his belt loops. He used his hands to guide his hips in graceful, kind of really sexy circles. At this point, Keith wasn’t even bothering to step on the arrows. He was full-blown staring at Lance, and unapologetically.

The song came to a close, and as the score tallied itself on the screen, Lance and Keith locked eyes. The former’s chest heaved slightly from the effort, and Keith was still a bit breathless from when he actually tried to dance.

“Looks like I win.”

All Keith could do was nod.

Lance burst into laughter, doubling over. “Oh my god, the look on your face! Keith, it’s okay, I wasn’t  _ completely _ serious. I mean, you don’t have to pay your debt tonight.” he winked.

Was it hot in here?

The two stepped off of the platform and weaved their way onto the arcade floor, shooting at zombies, shooting baskets, slinging skii balls. Finally, they ended up in front of the biggest machine in the building. The giant claw.

Lance held up his card. “I have enough credits on here for one last thing, and I’ve been saving it for this.”

“The giant crane game?”

“Yes. Pick out anything, and I will win it for you.”

“...Anything?”

“Anything, and it’s yours.”

Keith stepped up to the glass. He scanned the sea of stuffed things, and his eyes landed on the giant, brown stuffed bear in the center. He pointed eagerly. “The bear. The one in the middle. I want it.”

“It’s yours.”

Lance cracked his knuckles, swiping his card and stepping up to the controls. He confidently positioned the claw above the bear’s head, took a deep breath, and pushed the big red button.

Keith watched with childish excitement as the claw dropped down over the bear’s head, gripped, and plucked it directly from the middle. It was dragged to the hole in the corner and dropped, and Keith gasped in excitement. He tugged it out, holding it up to show Lance.

“Holy shit, you fucking did it,” he said.

“Just for you.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. No one’s ever won me anything before.”

Lance felt his cheeks get warm. “I wanted to.”

Keith smiled shyly, then turned back to the bear. “I’m naming him Mocha.”

“Sounds good. I think it fits.” he chuckled. “Ready to get out of here?”

“Yeah, I think that does it,”

“Me too.”

The two headed for the door, Keith hauling his spoils out into the night. The rain had stopped at some point, making the short walk back to the truck simple. When the two slid into the truck, they worked together to shove the giant bear into the back of the cabin.

Before Lance turned the truck back on, he turned to Keith.

“Look, I wanted to thank you for coming out with me tonight. It feels good.”

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I had a pretty good time.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I really did. I’ve never had a night like that, ever. No one’s ever taken me out, not to an arcade, not in general. No one’s been persistent enough to get there.”

Lance stared at Keith as he fell silent. They sat there like that for a moment, and he could’ve sworn his heart skipped a beat.

“I want to do this right.” Lance said, breaking the silence. “I want to do this right, and I don’t want to rush things if this is where we’re going. How do you feel?”

“Honestly, I still don’t really know. But I think I like what I’m feeling. I’m not a hundred percent, but…” he took a deep breath. “I want to see where something like this would go.”

Lance’s eyes flicked down to Keith’s lips. He leaned in, tilting his head as he pressed their lips together for the first time since the New Year’s Party.

Keith inched forward, and Lance’s hand cupped Keith’s jaw. Their kiss lingered for a few moments before they broke apart. 

“I want to make it up to you.” Keith said quietly. “Not because I feel like I have to, but because I want to.”

Lance smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot.” He turned and slipped the key into the ignition, the truck coming to life beneath them once again. He shifted into drive, and they headed back for the campus.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another date!

Keith woke around 8:30 the following morning. When he got back last night, everyone was asleep, so he just closed himself in his room and joined them. It hit him that maybe leaving a note saying him and Lance had left together yesterday wasn’t the best idea.

He proved his own suspicion correct when he was greeted by Pidge and only Pidge in the main room when he left his own. They were sitting, cross-legged, on one of the dining chairs, sipping menacingly at a cup of coffee.

“Mornin’ Kogane,” came the greeting from the former, breaking the silence.

“Mornin’, Holt.”

“Saw the note you left.”

“What of it?”

“You got back kinda late, didn’t ya?”

“Gonna repeat, what of it?”

“It said you were with Lance.”

“Pidge, if I have to repeat my question again, I’m going to punch you in the throat.”

“Tell me everything.”

“No.”

“Tell me why you got back so late.”

“Hard fucking no, gremlin.”

Pidge groaned. “You’re no fun, Keith! Something must’ve happened if you’re being  _ this _ cagey.”

“Nothing happened, Pidge.”

“That’s not what Lance told me.”

Keith froze. “What the fuck did he tell you?”

“Just about everything.”

“So why are you asking me to tell you everything?”

“I wanna hear your side.”

“If you heard it from Lance, you wouldn’t be pestering me, would you?”

Pidge scowled. “Damn it, that always works in the movies. Fine, I was bluffing! I just want to know what you guys did yesterday!”

“Too bad, now leave me alone.”

Pidge whined, getting up. “I will get it out of you.”

“No you won’t.”

They blew a raspberry at Keith before trudging angrily to their room. “If you want to tell me, you know where to find me.   


“Useless information.”

Pidge growled as they shut themselves in their room.

A few moments later, Hunk peeked out of his room. “What the hell, guys? It’s not even nine yet!”

“Tell Pidge to piss off,” Keith shot back, fixing himself a coffee.

“Both of you can piss off!” called Shiro from his room. “Old men need their rest, thank you very much!”

“You’re twenty-six!” Hunk shouted.

“My point still stands, Garrett!”

“All of you shut the fuck up before I-”

Keith’s threat was cut off by a knock at the door.

Pidge stuck their head out of their door. “What the fuck was that?”

“A door, you idiot, ever heard of it?”

“Eat my ass, Kogane.”

“Not before you suck my dick, Holt,” he hissed, moving to answer the door.

What he found on the other side of the door made both his heart flutter and his stomach sink. Lance was on the other side of the door. Dressed on the nicer side. And holding a small bouquet of flowers.

“Oh jesus fuck,” he breathed.

It was too late. Pidge was barrelling into the room. There was no way he could hide this.

“THEY WENT ON A FUCKIN’ DATE!” Pidge screamed.

Lance chuckled sheepishly from the doorway. “Bad time?” he asked.

“No, you’re fine. It’s the company,” he snarled at Pidge.

Shiro and Hunk both wandered into the main room, jaws open at the sight of Lance.

“No way,” Hunk said quietly. “You two?  _ Dating? _ Has Hell frozen over? Is the world upside down? What is happening?”

Keith’s face was warm. He was red. Like, really red. He sighed angrily, scrubbing his face with his hands. “All of you guys better not say anything else. This is why I didn’t want you finding out. Because I knew you’d make a big deal out of it.”

“Oh, don’t worry little brother, we’re not gonna make a big deal out of it,” Shiro said, dismissing Keith’s concern with a wave.

“Thank you, Shiro, I can always count on you to-”

“We’re gonna make the  _ biggest fucking deal out of it!” _ he exclaimed, traversing the room in just about two strides to scoop Keith up with his arm and noogie him with the stump of the other one. “My baby brother has a  _ booooyyyyfriennnnd!” _

“Shiro! Cut it  _ out!” _ Keith exclaimed, trying to wrangle out of Shiro’s iron grip. “ _ Stop it, for fuck’s sake!” _

“Keith’s got a boyfriend! Keith’s got a boyfriend!” Pidge and Hunk chanted.

All Lance could do was stand there, dumbfounded, at the sight before him. Never in his years of college did he think he’d see any display like this. This was the kind of shit he was used to seeing at home with his huge family and several siblings. It made his body feel warm. He chuckled at Keith, who was only making weird noises now, and was also attempting to bite Shiro’s arm.

Keith caught Lance’s eye and froze. “Don’t stand there and laugh! Help me!” he cried.

“I’m only laughing because this is the cutest shit I’ve ever seen.” he replied, setting the flowers down on the table. “You guys really are a family.”

Keith melted in Shiro’s arms, making himself deadweight.

“Keith, you think you’re heavy, but I can literally deadlift about three hundred pounds with one arm.” he drawled, raising a brow.

“‘Was worth a shot,” Keith deadpanned.

“So,” Hunk said.

“So,” Pidge repeated. “Why are you here so early, Lance?”

Lance blushed, toeing at the carpet with his sneaker. “I wanted to ask Keith if he’d go out to breakfast with me.”

He didn’t think it was possible, but Keith could swear his face got hotter. Wow, he was sweating, what the fuck.

“Um,” he forced out from under the pressure of Shiro’s arm. “Sure? Let me just, uh, get changed.”

“Cool.” Lance replied. “I guess I’ll just wait here.”

Keith nodded, reaching up and tapping Shiro’s arm. “Uncle,”

Shiro tightened his grip. “Which uncle?”

The former groaned loudly. “Uncle Marako now let me go!”

“Fine,” Shiro replied with a roll of his eyes.

As soon as Keith was free of his brother’s grasp, he bolted for his room.

He slipped into a pair of black jeans and a grey t-shirt, stuffing his hair under his grey beanie and shoving his feet into a pair of combat boots. He grabbed a zip-up hoodie from the back of the chair at his desk, returning to his little family a few minutes later.

He sighed. “I’ll be back soon,” he said. 

“Bye Keith, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Shiro said coyly, winking at him noticeably.

Keith rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay,” he scoffed, pulling the door closed behind him as he pushed Lance into the hallway.

The latter chuckled. “Are they always like that?”

“Unfortunately, yeah,” Keith grumbled.

Lance reached over and took Keith’s hand. “You shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed. They’re your family, Keith. They’re gonna do that all the time.”

Keith shrugged. “I guess. So, uh, where are we going?”

“There’s a nice diner a little ways away from here that I wanna take you to.” They approached the elevator, waited for it to come, and rode it down. Keith waved to the girl at the desk. The two headed out to Lance’s blue pickup, which was parked a few rows from the front of the building.

Lance rushed ahead of Keith to open the passenger side door for him, and he slid in gratefully. As he pulled the door closed, Lance headed around the front of the truck to the driver’s side, slipping in and sticking the keys into the ignition.

On their way to the diner, Lance took one of the park roads that wind through the big reserve, and Keith marveled at the greenery on either side of the road. He hadn’t really been off-campus too many times since he’d been there. Didn’t have much reason to.

The former stole a glance at his shy boyfriend, smiling softly to himself at the bewildered expression on his face. He took him this way on purpose.

Soft Hispanic music played quietly on the radio, setting the chill mood of the still-mildewy morning. Fog was still set in near the mossy floor of the preserve, making the woods around them look ethereal. Keith felt as if he was in a fairytale, the quiet woods around him looking sleepy and full of secrets. It was a matter of a few more minutes before they were driving off of the preserve and onto the main road.

Keith sat back in his seat, looking out at the road ahead of them.

After a moment, he spoke. “That was beautiful.”

“Have you never been through there before?” Lance asked quietly, sparing glances at Keith.

Keith shook his head. “No, I don’t really, uh, get off of campus too often.”

The former nodded, biting his lip. “Well, that’s what I’m here for.”

The rest of the drive passed them by in comfortable quiet, until Lance pulled his truck into the parking lot of the worn-down diner. As soon as the truck was in park, he was hopping out of the driver’s side door and heading around the front of the vehicle to open Keith’s side.

The latter slipped out of the truck and covered his face with his hand. “Are you going to do that every time we get out of the car?” he asked softly.

Lance nodded, beaming at his obviously very flustered boyfriend. “You’d better believe it.” he replied, taking Keith’s other hand and leading him towards the entrance of the diner.

The inside was bright. The walls were yellow, and the steeley silver booths were adorned with red cushions. The seats at the very retro-looking bar had blue cushions. The atmosphere made Keith’s chest feel warm. It was every bit the place he’d expect Lance to take him on a date.

The waitresses wore pale yellow uniforms to match the color of the walls, and the floors were a checker-print pattern that pulled the whole place together.

Lance waved at one of the girls at the bar, and she nodded to an empty booth for two. He led Keith to it and only let go of his hand when the two sat. Keith stared hard at Lance for a moment.

“What?” the latter asked, an embarrassed grin blooming on his face.

“Am I gonna have to ask who that is and how you pulled this together this morning or are you gonna be a good boyfriend and tell me?” Keith asked with an incredulous chuckle.

It was Lance’s turn to chuckle as he shook his head. “Man, you sure as shit don’t beat around the bush. Did I ever tell you how much I really like that about you, baby?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on,”

“And you called me your boyfriend! How cool is that!”

“Well you are! Get to the point, McClain, or I’ll walk back to campus,” Keith teased, reaching across the table to gently push at Lance’s shoulder.

The latter waved his hands in defeat. “Fine, fine. Gosh, my boyfriend doesn’t even like jokes.” he said, pausing to clear his throat theatrically. “If you  _ must _ know, that girl behind the bar is a friend of mine who used to go to school at our college. Her name is Romelle. I met her my freshman year when she was a senior. She told me about this place. I started coming here to visit her all the time cause she had it kinda rough. I still do, just cause, y’know? Anyway, I texted her last night after our little adventure at the arcade because I really love this place and wanted to take you here. I know it can get kind of busy in the mornings, so I asked her to reserve me the table I always sit at.”

Keith couldn’t help but feel giddy. He had nothing like this to offer Lance, but he got this in return anyway. Instead of mulling it over any more, he decided to ask another question.

“So why this table of all tables?” he asked. “I know you come here and sit at this one all the time, but why is it so special?”

The light in Lance’s eyes grew playful. “I had a feeling you’d ask.” he said, taking a sip of the water that was on the table before continuing. “One day, when I came here one of the first times, I had asked her if there was anything she liked about coming to work here. Because, y’know, she always complained about her hours, and that mean people came in sometimes. But, there was one thing she loved so much that’s kept her here and helped her feel better every time.”

He reached for the string that controlled the blinds covering the window next to them. He pulled on it, moving them up to reveal the scenery outside.

Behind the diner, down a very steep hill, was a small creek. There were flowers and just like on the preserve they had driven through, there was still some fog set in. It looked so peaceful. It made Keith feel wistful and hopeful at the same time.

He turned to his boyfriend, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “What is it with you and taking my breath away with scenery?”

The latter breathed a laugh, reaching across the table to take Keith’s hand and kiss his knuckles. “I dunno. I just feel like you’re the kind of person who really appreciates it for what it is.”

A few moments later, Romelle approached the table. She waved shyly, and Lance introduced her. They made quick small talk, and she took their orders. Lance ordered pancakes, and Keith ordered an omelette.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Lance leaned forward on his elbows against the table. “So, Mister Kogane. Tell me about yourself.”

That took Keith by surprise. “What?”

Lance shrugged. “I want to know everything about you. Tell me everything.”

“I’m not really the kind to share my life story just cause.” Keith replied, leaning back against the booth.

“I know,” said Lance, searching the former’s face with his deep blue eyes.

Keith swallowed. “How about this,” he started. “Ask me anything, and if I feel like it’s something you should know, I’ll tell you.”

Lance thought for a moment. “Sounds like a deal.”

“Ask away.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“You should know the answer to this.”

“You’re right, I do. It’s red.”

“It is.”

“How did you and Shiro meet?”

“We had an art class together in our first semester. I got into a fight somewhere else on campus and he vouched for me saying he was my best friend.”

“What about Hunk and Pidge?”

“They were friends with Shiro from an astrophysics class. He introduced me.”

“How long have you guys been living together?”

“We’ve shared a dorm for almost two years now, so about three and a half semesters.”

“Where are you from?”

“Ethnically or geographically?”

“Both.”

“I was born in Texas, but I’m half-Korean.”

“Mom’s or dad’s side?”

“Mom’s.”

“How did that happen?”

“Unimportant. Next question.”

Lance frowned. “Fine. Have you always liked guys?”

“Yes.”

“When did you come out?”

“Unimportant. Next question.”

“Why did you choose this school?”

“Good art program.”

“Okay, valid. Do you ever want to get married?”

“Unimportant.”

“What about kids?”

“Also unimportant.”

“Keith!”

“What?”

Lance leaned back against his side of the booth. “I think those are pretty important questions!”

Keith shrugged. “I don’t. I haven’t thought about it because I’ve been busy with other things. Not that I think I’d ever be good at parenting, let alone being someone’s spouse. Can we please change the subject?”

The former sighed. “Okay, I’m sorry for pushing you. You told me you’d tell me something if you thought it was important. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“It’s okay. Let’s talk about something else. Maybe you instead?”

“Well,” Lance started. “I grew up with four other siblings, me being the youngest. Two of my older siblings, Marco and Veronica, have kids, so at home I have my hands full. I live on a farm, so I’m pretty handy. We have goats, pigs, and chickens. I named all of our chickens, but then they started having babies and I lost track of who was who. I’ve broken both of my arms, my foot, my left one, and I’ve gotten probably a billion stitches. I was a very clumsy kid. Not to mention, Veronica was always daring me to do really stupid stuff.”

“Why did you do all of the dares?” Keith asked, taking his water and lifting it to his lips.

“Because I was the youngest boy in the family! She was always telling me that because I was so little, there was no way I could do something. I wanted to prove myself a man, you know how it is with siblings.” Lance said, waving his hand.

“Uh, actually, I don’t.”

“What?”

“I don’t know how it is with siblings because I don’t have any.”

“None at all?”

“None at all.”

“Damn, I now understand you completely, Mister Shut-in.”

Keith scowled. “Shut up, I’m not a shut-in.”

“You totally are. How many times last semester did you leave us to go watch movies in your room? You don’t even know where the bathrooms are in the main hall.”

“Why should I need to know where those are if I have one in my own dorm?”

Lance slapped his palm to his forehead. “What if you’re out with your friends and you need to pee?”

“I pee before I go anywhere so I don’t have that problem.”

“You pee before going anywhere?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must pee about three times a day, because you only ever go to class, to the library, and back into your dorm.”

Keith stuck his tongue out at Lance. “Hey, that’s not true. I’m in the coffee shop all the time with our friends.”

“For maybe an hour or two at most! Babe, admit it. You’re a shut-in.”

“I am not a shut-in.”

“Tell  _ that _ to your endless Netflix queue.”

Before Keith could come up with a witty remark, Lance’s friend returned with their food. The two thanked her and dug in as soon as she walked away. Their conversation became comfortable silence as they ate. The two stole glances at one another and shared a few smiles. The soft hum of other conversations and the music playing on low volume through the speakers in the ceiling was relaxing. It made Keith feel nostalgic, though he wasn’t sure for what. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d even been to a place like this.

_ Shut-in _ , was all he could think.

After about twenty minutes or so, both boys were pleasantly full, and upon noticing the empty plates, Lance’s friend approached the table and set the check down. The former snatched it before Keith could even lift his hand, putting down more than enough money to cover both the bill and a tip for his friend.

Keith felt his cheeks grow warm. “Geez, could you at least let me pay some time?” he grumbled, looking out the window for a moment before adding, “Thank you, though. This was super nice.”

Lance smiled, standing and stretching. He reached out for Keith’s hand. “You’re welcome, babe. Wanna head back?”

Keith let a small smile form on his lips as he took his boyfriend’s hand and let himself be led out of the diner. He waved to Romelle as they exited the building, and she waved back with a smile. 

Just like every other time before this one, Lance made sure he got to his truck first so he could open the passenger door for Keith. He just rolled his eyes as he climbed in, but there was nothing stopping the warmth that spread through his chest as he watched his boyfriend climb in through the other door and start the engine.

Man, he was falling.


	6. Chapter 6

It was always so easy for Keith to lose track of time in the library. Especially when his mind was drifting.

The last thing in his head was what he was supposed to be studying. His first test of the semester was just days away and the only thing he could think about was Lance. It had been a few weeks since the semester started, and it was already February. Lance was around their dorm and Keith in general almost every day now.

It was no longer difficult to find things to talk about. Keith didn’t know he could talk for hours at a time but he now did, almost every night with Lance. It turns out, they had a lot more in common than either initially thought.

They didn’t really listen to the same music, or play the same games, but they had common taste in movies and television shows. Both were suckers for horror and rom-coms, though Keith would never admit to the latter. They spent a lot of their time together bingeing shows like Bates Motel, American Horror Story, and Jane The Virgin. Keith made a separate Netflix account for that last one, cause he knew Pidge would make fun of him if they saw it in the list.

Despite all the time they had been spending together, Lance never stayed the night in the dorm. Something about overstepping his boundaries, or something like that. Keith never pressed, because he knew Lance would surely figure out his secret if he did. Though, all he wanted was to spend a night cuddling with his boyfriend. Wake up to Lance’s sleeping face… Have his pillow smell like his cologne every day.

But sharing a room with Lance for a whole night would definitely give some things away that Keith wasn’t ready to share yet. To sleep, he needed to take his binder off. And if he did that, Lance would know. He just… couldn’t ever find the right time to tell him. And he wasn’t sure if he was ready to just yet.

Keith was broken out of his reverie by the sound of the chair in front of him moving as someone sat. He was prepared to go off on whatever idiot chose  _ that _ chair out of every single fucking chair in the library when he looked up and his eyes met Lance’s. His face immediately reddened.

“Heya babe, this seat taken?” his dumb boyfriend asked coyly, setting his backpack down on the table.

Keith cleared his throat. “Um, no. Hey.” he smiled awkwardly. “How did you know I’d be here?” he asked quietly, trying to avert the eyes of the other students starting to look their way. Their relationship wasn’t a secret, but he never liked an audience.

“This is where you usually are on Tuesday afternoons. Also, Hunk told me.” Lance shrugged. He looked down at what Keith was reading. “What’s that for?”

“Art History. I have a test on Friday.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lance’s nose scrunched in mild disgust. “Ew. Art History?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah. It’s not too hard yet. Right now we’re just talking eras, not so much the artists that were in any one in particular.”

“Still sounds pretty annoying. I’m terrible at memorizing things, so I doubt I’d be very good in that class.”

“Oh shut up. You have all of your physics equations memorized. You repeat them to yourself like a goddamn mantra before every test.”

“I needed to know them!”

“Shh. I need to know these.”

“But babe, that’s boring.”

“You’re boring. Be quiet and let me study.”

“Let’s go watch a movie.”

“No, Lance, I’m doing work.”

Lance huffed, plopping his chin down onto his arms and staring up at Keith with a pout.

The latter’s eyes flicked over to Lance. “That’s not going to work, babe. I have work to do. This is important.”

“But Keith, you’re so fucking smart, you could memorize this in your sleep. In fact, I could cuddle you while you do it. Wanna?”

“ _ Lance _ ,” Keith said firmly. “I only have a little bit left to read. If I pack up after I’m done, will you please let me finish?”

Lance nodded eagerly, which earned him an eyeroll from the former.

“Fine. Now be  _ quiet _ , please.”

Keith took about another forty-five minutes to finish up his homework. Lance waited for him patiently the entire time, breaking out his headphones and keeping himself occupied with a game on his phone. It kept him from distracting Keith, who was grateful. After he had finished reading the section he was assigned, he wrote a detailed summary on his laptop, read it over, then sent it to his professor and packed up his things.

Lance saw the movement out of the corner of his eye, then looked over at Keith, taking a headphone out of his ear. “Done?”he asked with a patient smile.

Keith nodded, sticking his book and computer snugly in his backpack. He stood and slung the strap over his shoulder. “Yup. Ready to go?”

Lance followed his lead, walking around the table and taking Keith’s hand. “Ready.”

The two exited the library together, Keith waving at the librarian as they passed the desk. The crisp February air nipped at his cheeks, nose, and fingers as they traversed the courtyard. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Keith.

“Hey,” he said, looking up at Lance. “You’re over at my dorm all the time, why don’t we ever go to yours?” he asked.

Lance looked up at the overcast sky, taking a deep breath. “My dorm is super small and my roommate is kind of an asshole. I’ve been trying to get switched for a while, because my original roommate transferred schools and I got this prick. But they have more pressing shit to deal with in the main office, apparently.”

Keith frowned, squeezing Lance’s hand. “Sorry to hear that, babe.”

Lance shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m hardly ever there anyways.”

Soon, they were pushing into the warmth of Keith’s dorm building lobby. He waved to the girl sitting at the desk, waiting patiently for Lance to give her his ID and tell her the room number. It wasn’t much longer before they were riding the elevator up to Keith’s floor and heading down the hall.

Inside, Hunk, Shiro, Pidge, and Allura were all piled on the small futon in the sitting area playing Mario Kart. (For Christmas, Hunk bought the dorm a Nintendo Switch.) From the looks of it, Pidge and Hunk were yet again fighting for first place as Shiro and Allura laughed their asses off trying to figure out the controls.

Keith pushed the door closed behind him and Lance, the two of them taking off their shoes and de-bundling themselves.

“I see you nerds are having a good enough time without us. Guess there was no point in coming here after all, Lance.” Keith said dryly.

“You sure are right, Keith. Guess we should just go hole up and watch a movie without them, like they did yesterday.” Lance added, setting his coat on the back of one of the chairs at the table.

“Enough from the fuckin’ peanut gallery, guys, I’m trying to mop the floor with Hunk,” Pidge shot back, focusing intently on the screen.

“Oh you wish, Holt. I’m coming for your fucking crown.” Hunk said, grinning mischievously.

“Watch your language, kids. There’s a lady present.” Shiro scolded.

“‘Watch your language’ my ass, Takashit,” Allura scoffed. “Keep thinking like that and there’s no way you’ll ever get out of seventh place.”

“Oh it’s  _ on _ , Allura.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but his chest felt warm watching them. He had no issue letting them have their fun when he was about to go spend the next few hours alone with his boyfriend. He gestured to Lance to follow him to his room, and the latter did so without a word.

Once they were safely inside Keith’s room, Lance set his bag down on the floor next to the chair, where Keith put his. He peeled off his jeans and picked up the pair of sweatpants he had left on his bed that morning, switching out his regular socks for a pair of fuzzier ones. He climbed onto his bed and patted the space next to him.

Lance climbed into the bed next to him and Keith started up his TV. He opened Netflix and handed the remote to Lance. “I think it’s your turn to pick today. What do you wanna watch?”

Lance hummed, scrolling through their list of unwatched movies. “How about… something scary?”

“Sounds good. Surprise me.”

It didn’t take them long to agree on something, and they settled in to watch.

Halfway through the movie, Lance moved to get comfier and accidentally dragged his fingers across Keith’s abdomen. And he flinched. And laughed.

Lance froze.

“Wait.”

“What?”

“Wait.”

“Lance, what?”

“Are… are you…?”

“Am I…?”

“Keith, are you ticklish?”

Keith felt his stomach drop.

He swallowed. “No.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“So it wouldn’t bother you if I…” Lance suddenly squeezed both of Keith’s sides and tickled the flesh there, pulling him close. “...did this?!”

Keith immediately dissolved into a fit of laughter, the tickling sensation causing him to spazz out and try to wriggle away from his traitorous boyfriend. The onslaught only continued as tears rolled down Keith’s face from laughing so hard.

“Okay, okay, fuck, I’m ticklish! Quit it, please!” he called, tapping Lance’s hands a few times before he finally stopped.

As soon as Lance’s hands were off of Keith’s sides, the latter turned over, grabbed his hands, straddled his waist, and pinned them above his head. “Gotcha,”

Lance stared, bewildered, at Keith above him. “I’m sorry, what the fuck was that?”

Keith shrugged, pushing his shabby black bangs out of his eyes with his free hand. “Took a few years of judo growing up. The self-defense bit stuck with me, but that’s about it.”

“I didn’t think it was possible to get any more attracted to you, but well, here I am.”

Keith chuckled, looking down at Lance. “Is that so?”

The latter nodded, swallowing. “Yes, it is.”

Keith leaned in close, his eyes flickering to Lance’s lips before closing the distance with his own. It wasn’t long before their mouths found a rhythm, and Keith’s hand loosened its grip on Lance’s wrists. Almost immediately, his hands were back on Keith’s hips, rubbing circles into the exposed flesh with his thumbs as Keith’s shirt rode up.

Their breathing came hot and heavy between kisses, their lips growing swollen as they pressed closer to each other. Keith cupped Lance’s jaw with one hand and kept the other pressed against the side of his neck in the divot of his clavicle.

Lance broke the rhythm to lean up and graze his teeth against Keith’s bottom lip, sucking it hard as they pulled apart. They breathed the same air for just a few moments before diving back in, this time involving their tongues. Lance’s asked for permission by darting out against Keith’s own, who welcomed the intrusion.

The latter could feel his boyfriend’s pants tenting below him as he rolled his hips gently. He couldn’t help the arousal that warmed his whole body, made him sweat just the slightest bit. He could feel strands of hair being glued down to the thin, damp sheen on his forehead.

Keith was very much into what was happening, but could feel mild panic rise in his chest when Lance’s hands started moving up under the fabric of his shirt.

He pulled away and sat up, still straddling Lance’s lap to grab his hands, breathing heavily as he looked down at his confused boyfriend.

“S-sorry,” he breathed, trying to catch his breath. He let go of Lance’s hands and they fell to Keith’s hips. “I just…” he swallowed, pushing his bangs back against his head. “I’m not ready to go farther than that. I let this get way out of hand.”

Lance shook his head, giving Keith’s hips a reassuring squeeze. “No, we’re both at fault. I shouldn’t have crossed that line.” he smiled apologetically. “Sorry, Keith.”

“It’s okay.” he looked back at the TV behind them, which was still rolling their movie. “Fuck, we missed a lot.”

“Wanna rewind and keep watching?” Lance asked, looking up at Keith hopefully.

Keith nodded, removing himself from Lance’s lap as he grabbed the remote and handed it to him. The two made themselves comfortable once more and resumed their prior activity. Cuddling.

Keith, though, could not focus on the movie. It wasn’t because of…  _ that _ . It was because he was thinking about what Lance had told them on their way back here, about his dorm situation. He thought about wanting very badly to spend a night with his boyfriend. But… he couldn’t. Not yet.

Though… this dorm was meant for a good amount of people. It was a suite, with it’s own small kitchen, a bathroom… and another bed in Hunk’s room.

Holy shit, how could he forget? Hunk had another fucking bed in his room.

Keith shot up, fumbling for the remote and pausing the movie.

“Keith?” Lance asked.

“Babe, I was just thinking,” he said, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“About what?”

“What you said to me before about your dorm situation.”

“What about it?”

“You’re not happy in your current dorm, right?”

“Right, but where are you going with this?”

“My dorm is big,”

“Yeah, no shit. It houses four people.”

“What if it housed five?”

“I’m sorry, come again?”

“Hunk’s room has a second bed.”

Lance blinked. “It fucking what?”

“Hunk’s room has a second bed. It’s the biggest room in the dorm.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“If I was would I have brought it up?”

“I guess not,”

“What if you moved in here with us instead of being miserable?”

“Holy shit, really?”

Keith nodded. “What is the campus gonna do about it? They clearly aren’t paying attention to your situation anyway,” 

“You’re not wrong.”

“I know I’m not.”

“But what if they find out?”

“What are they gonna do? Lots of people switch dorms and spend more time in other dorms than their own. Who’s gonna stop you from having a better school experience?”

Lance went quiet. “Shouldn’t we talk about this with the others?”

“We probably should.”

The two scrambled out of Keith’s room, making a beeline for the sitting area where the others were still playing games.

They all looked up at the sudden commotion.

“Lance? Keith? You guys okay?” Shiro asked, raising a brow.

“Okay, so, Lance has a really shitty dorming situation, and he didn’t tell me about it until today, which is really dumb, because I’ve been his boyfriend for almost a month now and he’s supposed to tell me shit like that, but whatever, that isn’t my point,”

“Spit it out, Kogane,” Pidge called. “We have another race left.”

“Well, it got me thinking. Hunk has another bed in his room.”

All four of them froze, turning to Hunk.

“He does,” Shiro said.

“He does,” Pidge added.

“I do.” Hunk nodded.

“What if…” Keith started.

“...Lance moved in and took the bed?” Hunk finished, looking up at the boy in question.

Everyone looked at Shiro. His word was law.

“I don’t see a problem with it,” Shiro said with a casual shrug. “As long as he keeps after himself, I don’t see it being anything other than a benefit. Keith gets to spend more time with his boyfriend, we get to see more of our friend, and we get a new addition to our little family. I see no downsides.”

Lance’s face lit up. Tears gathered in his eyes and he wiped his face as he ducked his head. “Holy shit, you guys are too nice,” he said quietly. “Thank you.”

Keith hugged Lance under his arms, leaning up to press an excited kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. “You’re moving in.”

“I’m moving in.”


	7. Chapter 7

And thus began the most hellish week ever.

The plan was, over the next week, Lance was to sneak all of his things out past his roommate and into the gang’s dorm. The only issue was, he couldn’t get caught packing his things in his suitcase, or his roommate would surely get suspicious. So, several times a day, he was to go into his room, stuff his backpack and a stringbag (for ‘phys ed’) with whatever he said he needed and bring it over to Keith’s dorm.

The reason why Lance had insisted on such a slim timeframe was because in exactly one week was his and Keith’s first anniversary. They would officially have been together for one month. So, Lance wanted it to be special.

It felt a little weird that they were going to be living together after only dating for a month, but they had known each other before their relationship took that step. He wanted it to be perfect. Or, as perfect as a one-month anniversary celebration could be in a dorm.

Hunk was walking with Lance over to his dorm building one day to try and help him sneak some of his stuff when Lance brought up the subject.

“So, do you think I’m crazy for trying to get this done in a week the way I’m doing it?” he asked his friend as they entered the lobby.

“Do you want my nice answer or my honest answer?” Hunk asked, looking down at Lance.

“Honest.” replied the latter.

“Yes, I think you’re stupid crazy for trying to get this done in a week. Your roommate already doesn’t like you. If he finds out what you’re doing, he could get you in some serious trouble.”

Lance sighed. “My roommate, Lotor, he, well, he’s not really a shit-stirrer like that. He really only does things that will benefit him personally. At least, most of the time. I don’t think he’ll tattle on me.”

“If you insist, buddy.”

The two wandered into Lance’s dorm building, and Hunk gave the boy at the desk his student ID. They took the elevator up to the eighth floor, venturing down the hall to Lance’s dorm.

When he opened the door, Lotor looked as if he was just done getting ready for something. He looked up at Lance and Hunk.

“Hey there, roomie.” he said, his voice silky and deep. He had a hint of an accent. “What brings you here? And with a friend? You’re never here anymore.”

Lance swallowed, moving to make a show of sitting on his bed and taking off his shoes. “Oh, uh, my boyfriend is busy with his work today, so I decided to come back here with my friend to help him study.” he said, looking Lotor over. “What about you? You look all dressed up.”

Lotor rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter me, Lance. I’m going to a concert tonight with the girls. I’ll probably be gone most of the night.”

“Oh.” Lance said. “Sounds… like a great time. Have fun, Lotor.”

Lotor scoffed. “Yeah, no shit.”

With that, he grabbed his backpack and left the dorm, pulling the door shut behind him. Lance and Hunk both waited till they heard the footsteps disappear down the hallway before turning to one another.

“Hunk, buddy, this is it. This is our chance. He’s going to be gone all night. We can do this,” Lance said, his blue eyes lighting up with excitement.

“Yes, yes, you’re right. We can do this. Uh, okay, we have to call  _ everyone _ . Like, everyone we know has to help, or else this isn’t going to work.” replied the latter, pulling out his phone.

“Okay, I’ll call Allura, you call Shiro and Pidge. But make sure they don’t tell Keith. I want this to be a surprise.”

Within twenty minutes, Shiro, Allura, and Pidge had shown up to Lance’s dorm, each carrying two or three large bags each. They worked for about two hours to clear out all of Lance’s things, casually taking the bags down a couple at a time to sneak them past the boy at the desk.

As soon as the last duffel bag was zipped at Lance’s feet, he stood. He clapped his hands together to cleanse them of dust (not that there was any, he was just being dramatic), glancing around at the dorm. They had taken his sheets off of the bed and replaced them with the ones he was given in the beginning of the semester, but the two didn’t look too different. Lotor definitely wouldn’t notice. And if he did, he didn’t like Lance’s company anyway.

He headed out of the building and met his friends outside near a bench.

“Okay, let’s get all this stuff back. Keith is still at the library, right?” Lance asked, turning to Pidge, who was on Keith-duty.

They nodded, checking the time on their phone. “Yeah, we should be good. Keith said he was going to be at the library till at least 8:30. It’s only seven right now.”

“Awesome. Let’s go.”

The five headed across the courtyard to their building, reaching it in just a few minutes. When they entered the lobby, Shiro approached the girl sitting at the desk. She was there more than the other kids, and he was friendly with her. He talked with her for a little bit, and before long, he was turning around with a grin.

“I explained to her the situation. She said she understands, and she won’t tell anyone. She added Lance to the names under our dorm number. She just needs your ID, and we’re good to go, Lance.” Shiro said, gesturing to the desk behind him.

Lance nodded, sliding her his ID. She logged the number and slid it back to him, smiling.

All of them pushed into the elevator, travelling up to their floor. They clamored down the hall, unable to hide their excitement as they pushed into their dorm. Everyone helped unload Lance’s stuff into Hunk’s room. The latter had already made closet and drawer space for Lance. While they put away his things, Hunk left to go start on dinner.

Shiro and Allura unpacked the bags they had carried in, then left to go pick up a couple of bottles of celebratory booze. Pidge helped Lance finish off the workload.

Just before they finished, Pidge turned to their friend. “Lance, go ahead and get all ready for when Keith comes back. You’ve still got about forty-five minutes. I’ll be out of here by the time you’re done in the shower.”

Lance smiled. “Thanks, Pidge.” he left the room and snuck into their bathroom, starting the shower and getting undressed.

He took twenty minutes or so, booking it back to his new room to get dressed. He decided on his favorite blue-sleeved baseball tee and his favorite jeans. He toweled his hair mostly dry, the wild brunette curls sticking up no matter how many times he tugged his fingers through them. After he was done getting dressed, he joined the others in the main area, sitting with Pidge and Shiro on the futon.

Pidge looked up. “Hey, feel better?” they asked Lance.

He nodded. “Much.”

“Cool. Hunk, how much longer on dinner? Keith is texting me saying he’s leaving in five minutes.”

“I’d say maybe ten. You guys should set the table.” Hunk replied over his shoulder.

Lance and Pidge stood, grabbing plates, utensils, and cups, setting them at the places on the table. In a matter of another few minutes, Hunk was placing hot dishes on the table.

“Looks great, Hunk. You outdid yourself,” Shiro smiled.

Hunk blushed. “Oh, y’know me,” he chuckled.

Pidge’s phone pinged. “Keith’s coming up.”

They all took seats at the table, waiting patiently for Keith to arrive. A minute later, the keys to the door rattled in the knob, and the heavy wooden door creaked open. Keith pushed inside, turning and shutting the door behind him. He slipped his boots off and nudged them close to the door, only noticing the display on the table when he lifted his head. He froze.

“This definitely isn’t the creepiest thing I’ve come home to, but it’s on the fuckin’ list,” he deadpanned, finally relaxing. He tossed his bag onto the futon. “Uh, what’s all this about, guys?”

Shiro stood from his seat. “Today is now a special occasion. Lance, want to do the honors?”

The latter nodded, standing and stepping over to Keith. “Babe,” he started, taking his hands. “I’m officially moved in.”

Keith’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He threw his arms around Lance’s neck and hugged him. “Lance, that’s amazing!” he pulled away to cup Lance’s cheek and look at him again. “How did you pull that off so quick? It’s only been a few days.”

Lance shrugged. “My old roommate went to a concert tonight, so the five of us worked together and got all of my things out of there in just a couple of hours.”

“You’re crazy.” Keith snorted. He pressed a kiss to Lance’s lips. “You’re also the best.”

“I know.” Lance replied, winking.

“Okay, okay, enough romantic crap,” Pidge snapped from the table. “Let’s eat, I’m fucking starving.”

“Shut up, you gremlin, this is sweet.” Allura said, swatting at Pidge’s arm.

“Nah, they’re right,” Hunk said. “Lance, Keith, get your butts to the table and eat my delicious food. After, we can get drunk and then you guys can be gross and romantic.”

Keith rolled his eyes, but chuckled nonetheless. “Okay, okay,” he replied, taking a seat.

It didn’t take long for the six of them to finish what was on the table, and Allura broke out the alcohol she and Shiro had bought. They spent the rest of the night getting drunk and listening to music.

For the first time since they had met, Lance and Keith were spending a night together. They both fell asleep curled up on the floor, pillows under their heads from the futon.


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the semester passed without much event. Life gained just a bit more energy for Keith after Lance moved into the dorm. There were a few times when Keith almost slipped up and revealed his secret, but the rest of his friends helped him. He was just shocked that Lance hadn’t figured it out yet.

He resorted to taking showers only when Lance was out of the dorm, and he kept the door to his room locked at night. He also made sure that after Pidge did the laundry, they gave him his clothes first. His friends knew he wasn’t ready to tell Lance, and they did their damndest to help him keep it under lock and key.

Lance brought out the best in nearly everyone, especially Keith. For once, Pidge, Shiro, Hunk, and even Allura, were seeing a side of Keith they didn’t know existed. He was smiling and laughing more, and it was apparent that he was starting to feel more comfortable in social settings. He no longer ignored people when they waved or smiled at him, and he even started saying hello back to certain people.

Hunk found a kitchen buddy in Lance. Normally, he didn’t let anyone help him out when he cooked. That was his area of expertise, and he was extremely touchy about where things went in there. However, Lance knew a flavor palette that was somewhat foreign to him, and a few nights a month, Hunk would let Lance help him out with dinner. He even let Lance make a whole meal in celebration of Pidge’s birthday.

Pidge found a gaming buddy in Lance. One of the major common denominators between the two of them was their insatiable love of video games. Lance found himself in the little common area of their dorm with Pidge several nights a week, and the two were always playing something together. Whether it was MarioKart or Call of Duty, they were constantly competing and having a good time.

Shiro, on the other hand, found an honest friend in Lance. Though he didn't seem it on the surface, Lance was extremely in touch with his emotions. Everyone in the dorm knew that Shiro battled with a lot of mental distress, and Lance helped ease it. Every once in awhile, Shiro found himself venting to Lance, who listened earnestly and did his utmost to help make him feel better.

When Allura came around, she found a shopping buddy in Lance. The two were all about fashion and doing fun things together, which made them both an amazing and incredibly annoying pair. They went on a couple of small shopping sprees together, and Lance went as far as treating Allura to a pretty decent facial. Lance was extremely anal about his skincare routine, and Allura was constantly asking him for advice and tips on how to keep her skin clear.

Though it had only been a few months that Lance was living with the four of them, he immediately found his place among them. He had never quite felt this overwhelming feeling of belonging aside from in his own home, and it made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

As happy as Keith was with Lance in their dorm, he felt terrible about setting boundaries. He didn’t want there to be anything keeping them apart, and yet there was. One huge secret set them apart perpetually, but Keith didn’t think it was time to tell Lance just yet. It hurt him to see Lance’s face fall whenever Keith dismissed the idea of them spending the night together, and it made his chest ache to wake Lance up and tell him to leave his room every time he fell asleep on his bed.

As the days stretched towards the end of the semester, Keith could feel his relationship with Lance growing strained. They had been together since January, and here, now, in the month of May, as the semester was drawing to a close, all they had gotten around to doing with one another was a whole lot of smooching. Sure, not every couple had to move at the same pace, and not everyone dives straight into a physically intimate relationship. But not every couple had a giant secret preventing said physically intimate relationship.

Long story short, Keith could feel it in his gut that the time to tell Lance his secret was going to come sooner rather than later.

He decided that he would wait to tell Lance on his birthday in July.

As soon as finals were over, Keith and his small family decided to celebrate by throwing yet another small, impromptu party in their dorm. Allura brought munchies and alcohol, and the six of them drank the whole night and listened to music.

The following week, Allura announced that the five of them were invited to stay with her in her father’s small Summer home near San Jose, and everything like water and electric would be provided to them (except for food and personal effects). They packed up a good amount of their summer clothes, and the following week, they hopped into Allura’s minivan and drove the few hours over to the Summer house.

It didn’t take long for them to settle in. Much to Lance’s dismay, he was roomed with Hunk just like at home. Allura and Pidge shared a room together, and Keith and Shiro took the third room.

As he unpacked his last few shirts, Keith sighed. The next couple of months were going to be difficult, but he had to work up the courage to tell Lance or risk losing his relationship with him.


End file.
